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Angola: Service for conscientious objectors; penalties for those who refuse to serve or leave the service without fulfilling their terms; whether women are being recruited to serve and if so, in what roles

No information additional to that contained in AGO33161.F of 10 November 1999 on conscientious objection and penalties for those who refuse to serve or leave the service without fulfilling their termscould be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Referring to the Angolan National Recruitment Legislation, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers states that:

Conscription was reintroduced in 1993 and the former law on military service was replaced by the law 1/93 on 26 March 1993 and its subsequent decree of application. Military service was made compulsory for all men aged between 20 and 45. In the 1996 Decree, the minimum age for voluntary recruitment was fixed at 18 years for men and 20 years for women. In November 1998, the Council of ministers approved the compulsory conscription of Angolans born in 1981. This means hat the minimum age for conscription has been lowered from 18 to 17 years.

Under existing legislation, women between 20 and 45 years may also be called up, but they are actually not recruited" (25 Aug. 1999).

According to a 21 January 2000 IPS article, Angola is among those countries where Human Rights Watch (HRW) has investigated the use of children as soldiers and where it "has also documented the deployment of children on the front lines of combat, as well as their use as porters, spies, guides, and in the case of many girls, as sexual slaves to military commanders."

In the areas controlled by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) [armed rebellion which is opposed to the Angolan government], Country Reports 1999 states that "UNIITA is engaged in forced conscription and frequently killed persons who attempted to desert" (25 Feb. 2000 Section 1.G). It also added that "those who attempted to desert were executed and women, many as young as 13 years of age, were recruited forcibly to serve as porters and camp followers, and reports of sexual assault were widespread and credible." (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. 25 February 2000. <http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report//angola.html> [Accessed 5 Apr. 2000].

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. 25 August 1999. "Angola: Government Armed Forces: National Recruitment Legislation." <http://child-soldiers.org/angola.htm>. [Access on 27 Mar. 2000].

Inter Press Service (IPS). 21 January 2000. "Rights: Ban on Child Soldiers Hailed by Human Rights Groups." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential 1999-February 2000.

L'Autre Afrique 1999-Janaury 2000.

IRB Databases.

Country Reports 1999. February 2000. Electronic version.

Resources Centre country file. Angola. 1999 to present.

Keesing's Record of World Events 1999.

Le nouvel Afrique-Asie 1999-February 2000.

West Africa 1999.

World News Connection (WNC).

Internet Sites, including

Africa Intelligence.

Africa News Service.

Amnesty International Online.

Human Rights Watch Online.

International Crisis Group (ICG).

Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA).

War Resisters International.

Topics: Conscientious objection,